[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 74 of the FBI’s RYMUR release.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978GEORGE03897_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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ACTION SCS-06
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ISO-00 CA-01 L-03 H-01 FBIE-00 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00 DODE-00 PA-01 SY-05 SS-15 SSO-00 INRE-00 JUSE-00 /054 W
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O 232015Z NOV 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 8176
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE GEORGETOWN 3897
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CASC, OREP, GY
SUBJECT: FINDINGS IN PARTIAL AUTOPSY ON BODY OF BISHOP JIM JONES
THE OFFICIAL PATHOLOGIST OF THE GOG [Government of Guyana], DR. LESLIE C. MOOTOO, HAS FURNISHED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: QUOTE: DR. MOOTOO REPORTED THAT HE PERFORMED A PARTIAL AUTOPSY ON A BODY IDENTIFIED TO HIM AS BEING THAT OF BISHOP JIM JONES AT JONESTOWN ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1978. HE SAID THERE WAS A SMALL BULLET ENTRY WOUND ABOVE THE RIGHT EAR, WITH A LARGE, 4 CENTIMETER EXIT WOUND BEHIND THE LEFT EAR. THE WOUNDS APPEARED TO BE SELF-INFLICTED, USING A SMALL PISTOL WHICH WAS FOUND LYING ON THE VICTIM’S CHEST. DR. MOOTOO SAID HE ALSO TESTED FOR POISON AND THERE WAS NOT EVIDENCE THAT HE HAD TAKEN ANY. A COMPLETE AUTOPSY WAS NOT DONE AS THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS OBVIOUS. UNQUOTE.
BURKE [John Burke, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana]
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